1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mowers for cutting ground vegetation. In another aspect, the invention concerns mowers having an articulatable mowing deck for allows for efficacious cutting of ground vegetation from around upright obstructions such as trees and fenceposts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional mowers for cutting ground vegetation come in a variety of configurations. However, when cutting ground vegetation around upright obstructions (e.g., trees and fenceposts), most conventional mowers require manipulation of the entire mower to effectively cut around the obstructions. As such, frequent manipulation of the entire mower can be required when mowing along a fence line or a line of trees. Particularly with large mowers, such manipulation around upright obstructions can be difficult and slows down the mowing process. Further, the mower and/or the upright obstruction may be damaged if the deck of the mower 20 accidentally strikes the obstruction. Thus, there exists a need for a mower having a mowing deck, which can cut ground vegetation around upright obstructions without requiring manipulation of the entire mower.
In response to this need, several prior art mowers have been developed having mowing decks which are independently articulatable relative to the frame of the mower. Such independently articulatable mowing decks allows for the cutting of vegetation around upright obstructions with minimal manipulation of the entire mower. However, conventional mowers having independently articulatable mowing decks have a number of drawbacks. For example, many conventional mowers having independently articulatable decks are self-propelled riding mowers having bulky and expensive designs. Further, such self-propelled riding motors can be difficult and expensive to transport over large distances due to their shear size and weight.
Some conventional mowers having independently articulatable mowing decks are not self-propelled and are designed to be pulled behind a towing vehicle. Most of these “pullbehind” mowers are not independently powered and require power to be transferred from the towing vehicle to the mower (e.g., via a hydraulic or power-take-off system) in order to rotate the blades of the mower. Thus, conventional pull-behind mowers which are not independently powered can only be used with certain types of towing vehicles having the appropriate powering mechanisms.
An additional disadvantage of conventional mowers is the inaccessibility of the underside of the mowing deck. It is important that the underside of the mowing deck be readily accessible in order to safely clean the deck and sharpen the blades.
A further disadvantage of conventional mowers having independently articulatable decks designed to extend under the wires of a fence and mow along a fence line is that the excessive width of the mower can make it difficult and/or expensive to transport and store the mower.